Governor Matt Bevin took some time off of ranting on Facebook Live yesterday to rant at a post-secondary education conference where he attempted to mansplain what’s really wrong with colleges today.
The governor, who graduated from a private liberal arts school with a degree in East Asian Studies, had a lot to say about how universities should cut academic programs that don’t fill high-demand jobs. “I plan on making Kentucky the manufacturing epicenter of America, and we as educators have to ask ourselves, what are we doing to plan for it. Our state universities are digging deep into our budget, and not one of them offers a major in factory work. Shouldn’t college be preparing us for the future job market? You know, our colleges are still offering ‘journalism’ as a major and politicians don’t even do press conferences anymore, get with the times.”
“I was shocked and excited to hear there were even high-demand jobs out there,” said Julie McCafferty, a recent University of Kentucky graduate with a degree in communication. “So far, local college graduates that I know have done a pretty good job filling positions in the food service industry, so really, it was just exciting to hear that there were other industries out there looking to fill vacant positions.”
“I think it’s a good idea to cut financing from any programs that don’t lead to high paying jobs,” said Barrett Jackson, a barista with an MBA that we weren’t planning on speaking to. “I think if you’re a student stuck in a major that doesn’t help you get a job when you graduate, then you’re wasting your time and your parents money,” Jackson shouted over the whir of the frappaccino blender.
Governor Bevin, who apparently is still of the belief that having a college degree helps you get a job, explained exactly why college’s should look into cutting different programs. “If there’s one thing that worries me it’s Kentuckians wasting 4 years of their life by putting faith in something they think is going to make their future better, when it’s clearly not helping them in any way shape or form.”
He walked away from the podium for a moment before quickly running back to the microphone and yelled, “College, I was talking about college there.”